Know What's Happening in Legal
Know What's Happening in Legal
Delaware Supreme Court lets insurers pursue contract claims against Blackbaud over ransomware breach
The Delaware Supreme Court reversed lower‑court dismissals, permitting insurers to bring breach‑of‑contract actions against Blackbaud for its 2020 ransomware incident. Blackbaud had previously paid a $3 million SEC fine and $49 million to state attorneys general for misleading breach disclosures.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Oil majors acquire $164M of Alaska oil leases
CalSTRS warns that the SEC’s recent retreat from reviewing shareholder proposals erodes a critical layer of investor protection. The pension fund argues the market needs an independent referee to fairly vet proposals before they reach a vote. Without such oversight, the risk of frivolous or harmful proposals rises, potentially destabilizing corporate governance. CalSTRS is calling on regulators to restore a robust review process to safeguard fiduciary interests.
A regulator placed two insurers under statutory management, signaling heightened oversight in the sector. Concurrently, war-driven volatility is expected to push Nigerian reinsurance rates higher and spur Greek firms to intensify cyber‑risk scans. Insurers are also expanding globally, with a...
The Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) has added an e‑country profile section to its website, allowing states to publish practical guidance on its conventions. To date, only the United States and Latvia have posted profiles for the Service...
India’s securities regulator SEBI imposed a total fine of ₹2.8 crore on 18 entities for manipulating the share price of Retro Green Revolution Ltd (RGRL). The regulator ordered Sanjay Arunkumar Choksi and Western Agrotech Innovative to return unlawful gains of ₹2.94 crore...
Safety‑Kleen Systems, a Clean Harbors subsidiary, agreed to pay a $175,000 federal fine after the EPA cited its Linden, New Jersey plant for maintenance, storage and equipment violations. Inspectors found leaking pipes, unsealed containment structures and improper labeling that heightened the...
Connecticut’s Clean Slate law has automatically erased criminal records for more than 150,000 residents, targeting eligible misdemeanors after seven years and low‑level felonies after ten years while excluding serious offenses. The program, launched in 2023 following the 2021 legislation, marks...
The Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA), effective July 2024, obligates the DOJ to submit an annual report on foreign officials’ bribery demands and related enforcement actions. In a recent DOJ letter, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Ronald Lampard outlined how the...
SoundExchange CEO Michael Huppe welcomed Ireland’s amendment to its copyright law, which now obliges Irish radio royalties to be paid to American performers. The change stems from an EU court ruling that mandates all member states to allow such payments,...
Maritime insolvencies are uniquely international, involving owners, charterers, crew, and creditors across multiple jurisdictions. Existing cross‑border insolvency regimes such as the UNCITRAL Model Law and the European Insolvency Regulation adopt a universalist approach, which clashes with the territorial nature of...
Trump troll Matt Gertz, senior fellow at the hard left Media Matters for America @mmfa: “Any broadcaster now has to question if anything they put out could end up getting them in a heap of legal trouble with the @FCC.”...
Freshpet was ordered by the BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division (NAD) to stop using "human grade" language in its dog‑food advertising after a challenge from rival The Farmer’s Dog. NAD found two of three reviewed ads implied the product...
Policyband Quote of the Day: “@BrendanCarrFCC critics pretend he said something radical. However, the Communications Act in Section 309(a) has long required broadcasters that use public spectrum to operate in the ‘public interest.’ That principle is the foundation of...
The Delaware Supreme Court affirmed the Delaware Chancery Court’s ruling that the standard three‑year statute of limitations applies to fiduciary‑duty claims arising from de‑SPAC transactions. The court applied Delaware’s long‑standing occurrence rule, holding that the limitations clock starts when the...
The U.S. Department of Justice antitrust trial against Ticketmaster and its parent Live Nation resumed on March 16 after 32 states rejected a tentative settlement. The proposed deal would have forced 50 % of tickets at Live Nation‑owned venues to be sold...
An appellate ruling by the Madras High Court in Softgel Healthcare v. Pfizer refused to execute U.S. Letters Rogatory seeking manufacturing records from an Indian API supplier, citing four provisions of the Hague Evidence Convention. The court rejected the request...
The global space economy is set to surge from $630 billion in 2023 to $1.7 trillion by 2035, yet the legal framework remains fragmented and largely government‑centric. Private actors face a regulatory vacuum that could trigger lunar land grabs, inflate costs, and...
The SEC (The US Federal Agency that regulates securities markets) recently released its most important crypto guidance along with the CFTC (The US federal agency that regulates commodity and derivatives markets). For the first time, the US government has formally...
Craig Ball argues that the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM) isn’t fundamentally broken; its perceived flaws stem from widespread misunderstanding. He outlines common misconceptions, such as conflating distinct stages and applying outdated workflows to modern technology. The piece stresses that...
Vera Mayzel, a legal influencer with nearly 40,000 followers, announced on Instagram that she is leaving her newly‑qualified solicitor role at Hogan Lovells. After completing a training contract and qualifying in February 2026, she said she is stepping back from Big Law...
The House Education and Workforce Committee approved HR 7661, the “Stop the Sexualization of Children Act,” and sent it to the full House. The bill would prohibit federal funding for any public‑school program that provides or promotes literature deemed “sexually...
Weil Gotshal & Manges announced that co‑managing partner Ramona Nee will succeed longtime executive partner Barry Wolf as executive partner on 1 January 2027, with Wolf remaining chair of the management committee until the end of 2027 before retiring. Nee, who also...
The Delhi High Court affirmed ICICI Bank’s right to terminate a long‑serving manager by paying salary in lieu of notice, ruling that the employee’s acceptance of Rs 99,634 effectively ratified the dismissal. The court rejected the employee’s claims for reinstatement and...
The Department of Justice’s proposed settlement with Live Nation adds an “Artist Transparency” clause that forces the ticketing giant to share ticket‑buyer information with performers upon request. The data will be provided under privacy safeguards and a DOJ‑approved non‑disclosure agreement....
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) formally designated Google as holding Strategic Market Status (SMS) for its general search and search‑advertising services in October 2025. Following the designation, the CMA launched a comprehensive conduct‑requirement consultation in January 2026, proposing rules on...
Chrystal D. Mueller, 41, of Reedsburg, Wisconsin, received an 18‑month federal prison sentence for conspiring to distribute fentanyl after pleading guilty in September 2025. The scheme involved shipping 19 parcels of fentanyl pills from California to Wisconsin between January and...
A 60‑year‑old Independence, Mo., salesman, Michael Robert Jett, was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison for a six‑year tax evasion scheme. He falsified exemption claims, preventing employer tax withholdings and failing to pay federal and state income taxes from...
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals imposed steep sanctions on Tennessee lawyers Van R. Irion and Russ Egli after discovering more than two dozen fabricated or misrepresented case citations in their appellate briefs. The court ordered each attorney to...
Barry and Allison Schneider have sued Carrington Mortgage Services in federal court, alleging the servicer ignored four written information requests and proceeded with a foreclosure demand exceeding $30,000. The dispute began when the couple discovered portal errors, missing escrow data,...
Some FEW FACTS to note: 1. In about 60 days, Constitution Amendment (No. 3) Bill will be availed for a vote in Parliament. 2. No referendum will be held, & no referendum is required by law. 3. You have the chance to...
A federal judge in Illinois refused to dismiss the SEC’s off‑channel communications claim in SEC v. Arete Wealth Management, affirming that the books‑and‑records rule applies to text messages. The court rejected Arete’s arguments that Rule 17a‑4 is unconstitutionally vague and...
The U.S. administration’s suspension of the de minimis exemption is now being challenged in the Court of International Trade after a lawsuit by auto‑parts retailer Detroit Axle alleges the move exceeds legal authority. The challenge follows a Supreme Court ruling that limited...
Everyone is watching the Fed today. They should be watching the SEC. Yesterday, Chair Paul Atkins officially declared that most crypto assets are not securities — and proposed safe harbor exemptions that would let crypto startups raise capital legally in...
And there it is folks. The moment Jones Act haters have been waiting for… https://t.co/BZQNHrjdj5
The column examines the paradox of anonymous reporting channels, highlighting their essential role in protecting whistleblowers while exposing their vulnerability to incomplete or malicious claims. It uses a real‑world dilemma—an employee receiving an anonymous allegation against a trusted colleague—to illustrate...
CLARITY ACT UPDATE: ⚡️ Senator Tim Scott said a compromise on stablecoin yield could be reached this week, potentially moving the stalled bill forward Source: Decrypt https://t.co/qb0UTAd7Rd
Trump just waived the Jones Act for 60 days. Shipping interests say it won’t help
The UK government plans to amend the credit‑union common‑bond rules across England, Scotland and Wales. The locality bond membership cap will rise from three to ten million, and new eligibility categories will include students, relatives outside the household, and retirees....
NEW: SEC introduces five-category crypto framework with CFTC, says most crypto assets are not securities, only digital securities fall under its remit, some may still qualify as investment contracts, with more rules coming https://t.co/QodcXBpZk2
Incoming BEREC Chair Alejandra de Iturriaga outlined the regulator’s 2026‑2030 strategy at the IIC Digital Communications and Media Forum. The roadmap targets a secure, competitive, inclusive and sustainable digital Europe by strengthening connectivity, open ecosystems and resilient infrastructure. Implementation will...
Comply Exchange’s February 2026 roundup flags key FATCA, CRS, and IRS filing deadlines for financial institutions. Bahamas AEOI participants must submit FATCA/CRS data by March 31, 2026, while U.S. Form 1042 and 1042‑S filings closed on March 16, 2026. The IRS announced the FIRE system will...
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied dismissal motions by AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Novartis and Sanofi, allowing a whistleblower False Claims Act suit over alleged 340B program overcharges to proceed. The lawsuit, filed by Adventist Health System/West, claims the manufacturers...
Elon Musk’s X has satisfied the European Commission’s deadline for the €120 million fine imposed under the Digital Services Act. The company either paid the fine or provided a financial guarantee while continuing its appeal at the EU’s top court. X...
Many celebrate certain crypto assets getting classified as non-securities. If you look at those assets, they are clearly securities, sold as such and are designed only to enrich insiders. We need better securities laws and more fair and accessible markets, not exemptions.
EU lawmakers are simultaneously tightening and expanding digital surveillance measures. The European Parliament’s LIBE committee approved a new Deportation Regulation that will broaden data collection and movement restrictions across the bloc, while the same Parliament cut eight months from the...
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right‑wing coalition is pushing a constitutional amendment that separates judges from prosecutors and reshapes the Superior Council of the Judiciary. Opponents, led by the National Magistrates Association and centre‑left parties, warn the changes will erode judicial independence....
An Illinois federal court granted summary judgment to a state agency that terminated an employee after a documented series of workplace misconduct, including throwing paper clips, calling a coworker lazy, abandoning a phone desk, and secretly filming a supervisor. The...
Law firms often label write‑offs as inevitable costs, but they reveal where revenue leaks occur. A recent case showed $47,000 in write‑offs in a single quarter, traced to scope creep, stale invoices, rate discomfort, and surprise bills. By categorizing write‑offs...
Conservative lawmakers in Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma are advancing the Alliance Defending Freedom’s model CARE Act, which shields crisis pregnancy centers from state mandates to provide abortion referrals, information or contraception. The bill also grants centers the right to sue...
The Trump administration is dismantling core fair‑lending protections by targeting the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Fair Housing Act, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act and the Section 1071 small‑business data rule. An executive order eliminates the disparate‑impact theory, while the CFPB proposes to...
Cornerstone Research reports a sharp 40% drop in accounting‑related securities class‑action filings in 2025, falling to 34 cases, the lowest count since its 2004 tracking began. Despite fewer suits, settlement values surged 40% to roughly $1.5 billion, accounting for 51% of...
